Direct bolt simulated cap

ABSTRACT

A cap configured to be connected to a wheel having a hub and a series of openings configured to receive fasteners attaching the wheel to a vehicle. The cap includes a disc defining a series of openings. The number of openings in the cap is less than the number of openings in the wheel. Each opening in the cap is configured to align with a corresponding opening in the wheel. Additionally, the cap is configured to conceal a remainder of the openings in the wheel that are not aligned with the openings in the cap.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/713,282, filed on Oct. 12, 2012, the entirecontent of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to automotive wheel accessoriesand, more particularly, to a cap configured to connect to an existingautomotive wheel.

BACKGROUND

Wheeled vehicles commonly include wheel hub assemblies that arerotatably coupled to the vehicle's axles and threaded wheel studsprotruding outward from wheel hub assemblies. The threaded wheel studsare configured to facilitate the attachment of wheels to the wheel hubassemblies. In particular, wheels commonly include a series of openingscorresponding to the threaded wheel studs on the wheel hub assembliessuch that the wheels may be slid onto the threaded wheel studs. Once thethreaded wheel studs are received in the openings, the wheels may besecured to the wheel hub assemblies by a series of lug nuts screwed ontoends of the threaded wheel studs. Alternatively, the wheel hubassemblies may include a series of threaded holes and the wheels may besecured to the wheel hub assemblies of the vehicle by a series of lugbolts extending through the openings in the wheels and into the threadedholes in the wheel hub assemblies. Additionally, wheels also commonlyinclude a center bore for receiving a hub protruding outward from thewheel hub assembly.

The number of threaded wheel studs or threaded holes in each wheel hubassembly typically varies depending upon the type of vehicle. Forinstance, custom-built high performance vehicles, commonly referred toas tuner vehicles, typically include eight to ten threaded wheel studsor threaded holes. In contrast, many luxury automobiles include onlyfour or five wheel studs or threaded holes. Accordingly, the number ofopenings in the wheel typically varies based upon the type of vehicle onwhich the wheel is designed to be installed (e.g., wheels designed forluxury vehicles typically have four or five openings, which correspondsto the number of threaded studs or holes in the wheel hub assembly).Thus, a user's potential choice of wheels is typically limited to thosewheels that have the appropriate number of openings. Alternatively, theuser could purchase replacement wheel hub assemblies having theappropriate number of threaded wheel studs or threaded holes based uponthe user's wheel selection. For instance, a user who desires to switchbetween tuner-style wheels and luxury wheels conventionally purchasestwo different sets of wheels and two different sets of wheel hubassemblies. However, purchasing two different sets of wheels andcorresponding wheel hub assemblies, and storing the set not currentlyinstalled on the user's vehicle, is costly and inconvenient. Moreover,removing and replacing the vehicle's wheels and wheel hub assemblies isboth time-consuming and cumbersome.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to various embodiments of a capconfigured to be detachably connected to an automotive wheel having ahub and a first plurality of openings configured to receive fastenersattaching the wheel to a vehicle. In one embodiment, the cap includes adisc defining a second plurality of openings. The number of openings inthe second plurality of openings is less than the number of openings inthe first plurality of openings. Additionally, each opening of thesecond plurality of openings is configured to align with a correspondingone of the openings of the first plurality of openings in the wheel. Thedisc is also configured to conceal a remainder of the openings of thefirst plurality of openings in the wheel.

In one embodiment, the disc further also includes an inner surfaceconfigured to conform to a portion of the hub of the wheel. In oneembodiment, the first plurality of openings in the wheel includes fromeight to ten openings and the second plurality of openings in the capincludes from four to six openings. In one embodiment, the openings ofthe second plurality of openings are circumferentially disposed aroundthe disc. In one embodiment, a shape and size of each of the openings ofthe second plurality of openings substantially matches a shape and sizeof the corresponding one of the openings of the first plurality ofopenings. In one embodiment, the disc further includes a central openingconfigured to receive a hub cover on the wheel. In one embodiment, thecap includes a plurality of holes circumferentially disposed around thecentral opening. Each hole of the plurality of holes is configured toreceive a fastener coupling the cap to the wheel. In one embodiment,each of the openings in the cap is non-circular. In one embodiment, thecap also includes at least one simulated bolt head in an outer surfaceof the disc.

The present disclosure is also directed to various embodiments of awheel assembly. In one embodiment, the wheel assembly includes a wheelhaving a hub and a first plurality of openings in the hub. Each openingof the first plurality of openings is configured to receive a fastenercoupling the wheel to a vehicle. The wheel assembly also includes a capdetachably coupled to the hub of the wheel. The cap defines a secondplurality of openings. Each opening of the second plurality of openingsis configured to receive a corresponding one of the fasteners couplingthe wheel to the vehicle. The number of openings in the cap is less thanthe number of openings in the wheel. Each opening in the cap is alignedwith a corresponding one of the openings in the wheel. Additionally, thecap covers a remainder of the openings in the wheel. The wheel assemblyalso includes plurality of fasteners extending through the secondplurality of openings in the cap and the corresponding openings in thewheel to couple the wheel to a vehicle. In one embodiment, the wheelassembly also includes a plurality of holes in the cap and a pluralityof fasteners extending through the plurality of holes in the cap andinto the wheel to couple the cap to the wheel. In one embodiment, thewheel assembly also includes a center bore defined in the wheel, a covercoupled to one end of the center bore, and a central opening in the cap.In one embodiment, the central opening in the cap is concentric with thecover on the wheel.

The present disclosure is also directed to various methods of reducingan effective number of openings in a wheel configured to receivefasteners coupling the wheel to a vehicle. In one embodiment, the methodincludes detachably coupling a cap to the wheel. The cap includes aplurality of openings aligned with a corresponding plurality of openingsin the wheel. The cap also covers at least one unused opening in thewheel. In one embodiment, the method also includes installing aplurality of fasteners through the plurality of openings in the cap andthe corresponding plurality of openings in the wheel to couple the wheelto the vehicle. In one embodiment, coupling the cap to the wheelincludes forming a plurality of holes in a hub of the wheel andinstalling a plurality of fasteners through a plurality of holes in thecap and into the plurality of holes in the hub of the wheel. In oneembodiment, coupling the cap to the wheel includes positioning a centralopening in the cap on a cover on the wheel. In one embodiment, themethod also includes detaching the cap from the wheel to expose the atleast one unused opening in the wheel and installing at least onefastener through the at least one unused opening in wheel.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that arefurther described below in the detailed description. This summary is notintended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subjectmatter, nor is it intended to be used in limiting the scope of theclaimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of embodiments of the presentdisclosure will become more apparent by reference to the followingdetailed description when considered in conjunction with the followingdrawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used throughoutthe figures to reference like features and components. The figures arenot necessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a cap according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure and an automotive wheel;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cap according to FIG. 1 detachablyconnected to the automotive wheel;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the cap according to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps of installing a cap on a wheelaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to various embodiments of a cap 10configured to be detachably connected to an automotive wheel 11. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the automotive wheel 11 includes a rim12, a plurality of spokes 13 extending radially inward from the rim 12,a hub 14 disposed at a center-point of the spokes 13, and a plurality ofopenings 15 in the hub 14. As used herein, the term “plurality” shallmean two or more, unless expressly stated otherwise. The openings 15 inthe hub 14 are configured to receive a plurality of fasteners (e.g.,threaded studs or threaded lugs) coupling the wheel 11 to a wheel hubassembly 27 on a vehicle. The cap 10 is configured to reduce theeffective number of openings 15 in the wheel 11 that are configured toreceive fasteners coupling the wheel 11 to the wheel hub assembly 27 onthe vehicle.

According to one embodiment, the caps 10 are configured to expand auser's potential selection of wheels 11 because the user is not limitedto wheels 11 having a number of openings 15 that corresponds to thenumber of threaded studs 28 or threaded openings on the wheel hubassembly 27. For instance, the user may select a wheel 11 having anumber of openings 15 that exceeds the number of threaded studs 28 orthreaded holes on the wheel hub assembly 27. According to oneembodiment, the cap 10 may be used to reduce the number of effectiveopenings 15 in the wheel 11 so that the number of effective openings 15in the wheel 11 matches the number of threaded studs 28 or threadedopenings on the wheel hub assembly 27. Alternatively, the user mayselect a wheel 11 having a number of openings 15 that equals the numberof threaded studs 28 or threaded holes on the wheel hub assembly 27. Thecap 10 may be used reduce the effective number of openings 15 in thewheel 11 so that one or more of the threaded studs 28 or threaded holeson the wheel hub assembly 27 go unused. The cap 10 is also configured toeliminate the need to purchase two different wheels and two differentcorresponding wheel hub assemblies based upon the desired number offasteners securing the wheels to the wheel hub assemblies. Furthermore,the cap 10 is configured to dynamically change the style of the wheels,such as between tuner-style wheels and luxury-style wheels.

With reference now to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3,the cap 10 is a disc having a base 16 and a flange or lip 17 extendingaround a periphery of the base 16. According to one embodiment, the base16 of the cap 10 is flat or otherwise mirrors a portion of the hub 14and the lip 17 of the cap 10 is upturned or otherwise mirrors a portionof the hub 14. The cap 10 also defines a plurality of circumferentiallydisposed openings 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the wheel 11includes ten openings 15 and the cap 10 defines five openings 18. Aperson of ordinary skill in the art should realize, however, that thecap 10 may define any other desired number of openings 18, such as fromtwo to ten, and still fall within the scope and spirit of the presentdisclosure.

Each of the openings 18 in the cap 10 is configured to align with one ofthe openings 15 in the wheel 11. According to one embodiment, when thecap 10 is coupled to the wheel 11, each opening 18 in the cap 10 isaligned with one corresponding opening 15 in the hub 14 of the wheel 11.The openings 15 in the wheel 11 that are aligned with the openings 18 inthe cap 10 are configured to receive the fasteners (e.g., a threadedstud 28 and a lug nut or a threaded lug) coupling the wheel 11 to thevehicle. The remaining openings 15 in the wheel 11 are unused when thecap 10 is coupled to the wheel 11. According to one embodiment, theopenings 15 in the wheel 11 that are not aligned with the openings 18 inthe cap 10 are configured not to receive a fastener coupling the wheel11 to the vehicle. Additionally, the cap 10 is configured to cover andconceal the unused openings 15 in the wheel 11. In the illustratedembodiment, each of the openings 18 in the cap 10 has substantially thesame size and shape as the openings 15 in the wheel 11, although theopenings 18 in the cap may have a different shape and/or size than theopenings 15 in the wheel 11. Additionally, openings 15, 18 in the wheel11 and the cap 10, respectively, may be either circular or non-circular.The openings in the cap 10 are also configured to facilitateinstallation and removal of the fasteners coupling the wheel 11 to thevehicle. Accordingly, the wheel 11 may be attached and detached from thewheel hub assembly 27 of the vehicle even when the cap 10 is coupled tothe wheel 11.

With continued reference to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2,the hub 14 of the wheel 11 includes an outer recessed surface 19. Asillustrated in FIG. 2, the cap 10 is configured to be seated in theouter recessed surface 19 of the wheel 11. Additionally, an innersurface 20 of the cap 10 is configured to rest flush against at least aportion of the outer recessed surface 19 of the hub 14 of the wheel 11when the cap 10 is detachably coupled to the wheel 11. According to oneembodiment, the inner surface 20 of the cap 10 matches the contour ofthe outer recessed surface 19 of the hub 14 of the wheel 11. In one ormore other embodiments, however, the inner surface 20 of the cap 10 maynot conform to the outer recessed surface 19 of the hub 14 and/or may bespaced apart from the outer recessed surface 19 of the hub 14.Additionally, the inner surface 20 of the cap 10 may have any suitablecontour depending upon the configuration of the hub 14 of the wheel 11.For instance, in one embodiment, the hub 14 of the wheel 11 may have aconvex outer surface and the inner surface 20 of the cap 10 may have aconcave shape configured to match the convex outer surface of the hub14. According to one embodiment, the cap 10 and the wheel 11 togetherare configured to give the impression of a single, unitary piece.

With continued reference to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2,the wheel 11 includes a central bore 29 configured to receive a hub 30on the wheel hub assembly 27. The central bore 29 is configured tosupport the wheel 11 on the wheel hub assembly 27. According to oneembodiment, the wheel 11 also includes a cover 21 disposed on an outerend of the central bore 29. The cover 21 may include various indicia 22,such as ornamentation and/or a decal, logo, or other badgingidentifying, for example, the manufacturer of the wheel 11.Additionally, in the illustrated embodiment, the cap 10 includes acentral opening 23 configured to receive the cover 21 on the wheel 11.According to one embodiment, the cover 21 on the wheel 11 is configuredto protrude into the central opening 23 in the cap 10 when the cap 10 isdetachably coupled to the wheel 11. According to this embodiment, thecentral opening 23 in the cap 10 is configured to expose or reveal theindicia 22 on the cover 21. For example, the cap 10 is configured not toobstruct a user's view of the indicia 22 on the cover 21. In oneembodiment, the shape and size of the central opening 23 in the cap 10substantially matches the shape and size of the cover 21 on the wheel11. In another embodiment, the shape and size of the central opening 23in the cap 10 may differ from the shape and/or size of the cover 21 onthe wheel 11. Additionally, in one or more embodiments, the cap 10 maybe provided without a central opening 23 so that the cap 10 isconfigured to cover and conceal any indicia 22 on the cover 21 of thewheel 11.

Still referring to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cap10 also includes a plurality of holes 24 circumferentially disposedaround the central opening 23. In the illustrated embodiment, the cap 10includes five holes 24, although the cap 10 may include any othersuitable number of holes 24, such as, for instance, from one to tenholes 24, and still fall within the scope and spirit of the presentdisclosure. The holes 24 in the cap 10 are configured to receivefasteners 25 (e.g., hex head screws) detachably coupling the cap 10 tothe wheel 11. In one or more embodiments, the cap 10 may be providedwithout the holes 24, and the cap 10 may be detachably coupled to thewheel 11 by any other suitable means, such as, for instance, removableadhesive. Although in the illustrated embodiment the number of holes 24matches the number of openings 18 in the cap 10, in one or moreembodiments, the number of holes 24 may differ from the number ofopenings 18 in the cap 10. Additionally, although the holes 24 in theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 are circumferentially disposedbetween the openings 18 in the cap 10 (e.g., the holes 24 are disposedbetween adjacent openings 18 in the cap 10), the holes 24 may bepositioned at any other suitable locations on the cap 10, such as, forinstance, aligned with the openings 18 in the cap 10.

In one embodiment, the cap 10 may also include at least one simulatedfastener head (not shown) formed in an outer surface 26 of the cap 10.Each simulated fastener head includes a series of depressions in theouter surface 26 of the cap 10 arranged to emulate the appearance of afastener head, such as, for instance, the appearance of a head of a hexhead screw. In one embodiment, each simulated fastener head may beconfigured to emulate the appearance of the head of the fasteners 25detachably coupling the cap 10 to the wheel 11. In another embodiment,each simulated fastener head may emulate the appearance of a fastenerthat is different from the type of fasteners 25 detachably coupling thecap 10 to the wheel 11. In one embodiment, two of the five holes 24circumferentially disposed around the central opening 23 may be replacedby two simulated fastener heads, although any number of the holes 24 maybe replaced by simulated fastener heads and still fall within the scopeand spirit of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, each of theholes 24 in the cap 10 may be replaced by simulated fastener heads andthe cap 10 may be detachably connected to the wheel 11 by any suitablemeans other than mechanical fastening, such as, for instance, removableadhesive. The simulated fastener heads may aid in deterring theft of thecap 10 by obfuscating the proper mechanism for detaching the cap 10 fromthe wheel 11.

The cap 10 may be made of any suitably strong and durable material, suchas, for instance, metal (e.g., aluminum or steel), metal alloy (e.g.,aluminum alloys), or carbon fiber reinforced plastic. The cap 10 may bemade by any suitable process, such as, for instance, machining, milling,water jet cutting, laser cutting, stamping, pressing, sheet metaldrawing, molding, rapid prototyping using additive manufacturingtechniques, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method 100 of using the cap 10 accordingto one embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, themethod 100 includes a task 110 of selecting a cap 10 having a desiredconfiguration. The desired configuration of the cap 10 may depend uponthe number of openings 15 in the wheel 11 to which the cap 10 will beinstalled, the number of threaded wheel studs 28 or threaded holes inthe wheel hub assembly 27, and the desired number of fasteners couplingthe wheel 11 to the wheel hub assembly. For instance, in one embodimentin which the wheel 11 defines from eight to ten openings 15, the usermay select a cap 10 defining four or five openings 18 such that theeffective number of openings 15 in the wheel 11 that are configured toreceive fasteners coupling the wheel 11 to the wheel hub assembly 27 isreduced to four or five openings 15.

The method 100 also includes a task 120 of coupling the cap 10 to thehub 14 of the wheel 11. In one embodiment, the task 120 of coupling thecap 10 to the hub 14 of the wheel 11 includes a task 130 of drilling andtapping a plurality of threaded blind holes 31 (see FIG. 1) in the hub14 of the wheel 11 that are arranged to align with the plurality ofholes 24 in the cap 10. The task 120 of coupling the cap 10 to the hub14 of the wheel 11 also includes a task 140 of installing a plurality offasteners 25, such as, for instance, hex head screws, by inserting thefasteners 25 into the plurality of holes 24 in the cap 10 and thenthreading the fasteners 25 into the threaded blind holes 31 in the hub14 of the wheel 11.

In another embodiment, the holes 31 in the hub 14 of the wheel 11 may besmooth blind bores and the fasteners 25 coupling the cap 10 to the wheel11 may be self-tapping fasteners, such as, for instance, self-tappingscrews. Additionally, in one or more other embodiments, the task 120 ofcoupling the cap 10 to the wheel 11 may include permanently coupling thecap 10 to the wheel 11 by permanent fasteners, such as, for instance,rivets. In another embodiment, the task 120 of coupling the cap 10 tothe wheel 11 may include permanently connecting the cap 10 to the wheel11 by any other suitable means, such as, for instance, bonding, welding,or brazing. In one embodiment, the method 100 may also include a task150 of coupling the wheel 11 to the wheel hub assembly 27 on the vehicleby installing the fasteners (e.g., lug nuts or threaded lugs).

While in one embodiment, the method 100 of using the caps 10 may includeeach of the tasks described above and shown in FIG. 4, in otherembodiments of the present disclosure, one or more of the tasksdescribed above and shown in FIG. 4 may be absent and/or additionaltasks may be performed. Furthermore, in the method 100 of using the cap10 according to one embodiment, the tasks may be performed in the orderdepicted in FIG. 4. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto and, in a method 100 of using the cap 10 according to otherembodiments of the present disclosure, the tasks described above andshown in FIG. 4 may be performed in any other suitable sequence. Forinstance, in one embodiment, the task 120 of coupling the cap 10 to thewheel 11 may be performed before the task 150 of coupling the wheel 11to the wheel hub assembly 27 on the vehicle, while in anotherembodiment, the task 150 of coupling the wheel 11 to the wheel hubassembly 27 may be performed before the task 120 of coupling the cap 10to the wheel 11.

While this invention has been described in detail with particularreferences to exemplary embodiments thereof, the exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scopeof the invention to the exact forms disclosed. Persons skilled in theart and technology to which this invention pertains will appreciate thatalterations and changes in the described structures and methods ofassembly and operation can be practiced without meaningfully departingfrom the principles, spirit, and scope of this invention, as set forthin the following claims. Although relative terms such as “outer,”“inner,” “upper,” “lower,” “below,” “above,” “vertical,” “horizontal,”and similar terms have been used herein to describe a spatialrelationship of one element to another, it is understood that theseterms are intended to encompass different orientations of the variouselements and components of the invention in addition to the orientationdepicted in the figures. Additionally, as used herein, the term“substantially” and similar terms are used as terms of approximation andnot as terms of degree, and are intended to account for the inherentdeviations in measured or calculated values that would be recognized bythose of ordinary skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cap configured to be connected to an automobilewheel having a first plurality of openings configured to receive aplurality of lug bolts through at least some but not all of the firstplurality of openings for coupling the automobile wheel with a wheel hubassembly of the automobile, the cap comprising: a body defining a secondplurality of openings that is less than the first plurality of openingsof the automobile wheel, wherein each of the second plurality ofopenings is configured to align with one of the first plurality ofopenings in the automobile wheel so that the aligned openings in the capand the automobile wheel receive the plurality of lug bolts to couplethe automobile wheel to the wheel hub assembly of the automobile, andwherein the cap covers and conceals a remainder of the first pluralityof openings in the automobile wheel.
 2. The cap of claim 1, wherein thebody further comprises an inner surface configured to conform to aportion of a hub of the automobile wheel.
 3. The cap of claim 1, whereinthe first plurality of openings in the automobile wheel comprises fromeight to ten openings and the second plurality of openings in the capcomprises from four to six openings.
 4. The cap of claim 1, wherein thesecond plurality of openings are circumferentially defined on the body.5. The cap of claim 1, wherein a shape and size of each of the openingsof the second plurality of openings substantially matches a shape andsize of the corresponding first plurality of openings.
 6. The cap ofclaim 1, wherein the body further comprises a central opening configuredto receive a hub cover on the automobile wheel.
 7. The cap of claim 6,further comprising a plurality of holes circumferentially disposedaround the central opening, wherein each hole of the plurality of holesis configured to receive a fastener coupling the cap to the automobilewheel.
 8. The cap of claim 1, wherein each of the openings of the secondplurality of openings is non-circular.
 9. The cap of claim 1, whereinthe cap further comprises at least one simulated bolt head in an outersurface of the body.
 10. An automobile wheel assembly for coupling anautomobile wheel to an automobile irrespective of a lug bolt pattern fora wheel hub assembly of the automobile, comprising: an automobile wheelconfigured to be coupled to a wheel hub assembly of an automobile via aplurality of lug bolts in a fixed lug bolt pattern, the automobile wheelhaving a first plurality of circumferentially arranged openings, whereat least some but less than all of the first plurality of openings areconfigured to receive the plurality of lug bolts to couple theautomobile wheel to the wheel hub assembly of the automobile; and a capdetachably coupled to the automobile wheel, the cap defining a secondplurality of openings that is less than the first plurality of openingsof the automobile wheel, wherein each of the second plurality ofopenings is configured to align with one of the first plurality ofopenings in the automobile wheel so that the aligned openings in the capand the automobile wheel receive the plurality of lug bolts to couplethe automobile wheel to the wheel hub assembly of the automobile, andwherein the cap covers and conceals a remainder of the first pluralityof openings in the automobile wheel.
 11. The wheel assembly of claim 10,wherein an inner surface of the cap conforms to a portion of a hub ofthe wheel.
 12. The wheel assembly of claim 10, further comprising: aplurality of holes in the cap; and a plurality of fasteners extendingthrough the plurality of holes and into the automobile wheel to couplethe cap to the automobile wheel.
 13. The wheel assembly of claim 10,further comprising: a center bore defined in the automobile wheel; acover coupled to one end of the center bore; and a central opening inthe cap, wherein the central opening is concentric with the cover on theautomobile wheel.
 14. The cap of claim 10, wherein a shape and size ofeach of the openings of the second plurality of openings substantiallymatches a shape and size of the corresponding openings of the firstplurality of openings in the automobile wheel.
 15. The wheel assembly ofclaim 10, wherein each of the second plurality of openings isnon-circular.